


Thoughts

by Benevoson



Category: Ape Escape (Video Game)
Genre: Canon - Anime, F/M, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 08:02:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7214287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benevoson/pseuds/Benevoson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Only two thoughts were certain to Helga at this point. First, this autographing session wasn’t going to be any different. Second, the only thing she wanted was to see her father again."</p>
<p>A look at Helga's perspective before and during the 13th episode of the anime. Contains Hakeru: subtly romantic, but mostly friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thoughts

  There was so much left to do, but she was consumed with thoughts of her father.

            Of course, that’s what her mind seemed to always be set on. At the tender age of seven, Helga’s father had to leave her for work he wouldn’t say anything about. That was the price of being one of the world’s most brilliant minds; there was always a top secret assignment he would be forced to leave for, so she was used to being alone for days at a time.

Helga lowered her chopsticks and set them by her (now cold) ramen, staring intensely into the bowl in the dim light. It had been three years with no contact from her father, and the brunette was feeling lower than ever. She wasn’t oblivious; she knew that something happened to him. Whether that was being held against his will, or a worse fate (that she dared to never think about), it forced her to learn how to survive on her own. She knew almost nothing about her mother either. The only memory she has is a very faint one: A woman with hair much like hers who loved the spring cherry blossoms and her family more than anything. Sometimes, it felt like that memory was made up.

She gave a heaving sigh, and then stood up. _I can’t think about her forever. There’s too much to deal with right now._ She thought dejectedly. _But I can’t stop wondering either. What was she like? Why did Papa love her so?_

Grabbing her bowl of ramen, she poured the uneaten portion down the garbage disposal and rinsed the dishes before placing them on the drying rack. As she made her way out of the little dining area and toward her bedroom, she fell back into her thoughts, light-blue eyes wandering along the way. Currently, she is in the care of a group of people who managed the International Robo-Fighting League. Her father was the genius who had designed most of her mecha, Getcha, and an entire virtual world. Since she was the tester for both of these, she became adept very quickly, and soon made a career with Getcha. Pretty soon she was known as the young, undefeated champion who would easily fell opponents more than twice her age.

Despite that, she didn’t care about all the fame it brought her. The only thing she saw of it was non-stop traveling and constant autographing sessions.

When her eyes finally locked on the knob of the door, she reached out and gently twisted it, pushing the door open with a gentle squeak. The next session was coming up soon, and it was the last thing she wanted on her mind right now. At times she could be sitting for two, maybe three hours at her little table, seeing so many faces it was all a blur, signing books until her hand was wrought with Carpal tunnel, and keeping a smile on her face throughout the entire ordeal. Her wrist began to tingle just at the thought of it.

The young brunette slipped off her shoes and into the floral pajamas she had set out just before. Pulling back the covers of her bed, she slowly lowered herself into the sheets and pulled Rabbi-chan close to her body.  Mixed thoughts of the autographing in Tokyo tomorrow and her father swam through her drowsy mind. Only two thoughts were certain to Helga at this point:

First, this session wasn’t going to be any different.  
            Second, the only thing she wanted was to see her father again.

* * *

Indeed, the autographing _itself_ was uneventful. About 15 minutes after it ended, Helga decided to walk back down the street it happened on. The trek seemed to be as aimless as her thoughts. This time, it was about the many fans she just saw. While she secretly dreamt about her father and his possible return, she had to maintain an image of confidence for the public. Whenever her eyes defocused for a moment to try and picture that sandy blonde man from her memories, the fans would admire at how “contemplative” she appeared.

They all seemed to idolize her, like the goddess of the mechanical. _That couldn’t be further from the truth._ She thought bitterly. _But how much longer do I have to pretend? How many more nights do I have to say the Cat’s spell? If there was another way I could find Papa, then maybe-_

A sudden push on her left side snapped Helga out of thoughts. When she turned to face the disturbance, she was surprised to see a boy around her age sitting on the sidewalk, face concealed by a mane of spiky red and blond hair. She perceived the presence of two other people out of her peripheral vision, but for now she was distracted by the boy who nearly fell on her.

“Be careful!” were the first words that fell from her lips.

The boy looked up at her, cobalt eyes locking with her light-blue own. “I-I’m sorr-” his apology was cut short with a gasp as his bright eyes grew even wider. It seemed the boy realized who he had just bumped into. “H-Helga-san! The M-Mecha Champion!”

So it was another one of her fans. Still, she shouldn’t be rude. She offered her hand to the boy while maintaining a neutral expression. “You’ll get hurt if you rush.” She added, assuming the boy was running around right before the collision. A few more beats passed with the red and blond kid staring in awe at her hand. Slowly, he raised his own hand to lock with her outstretched one.

The feeling was astounding. It was a mix of warmth and sparks: subtle, but definitely there. With the growing redness on the boy’s cheeks, it was obvious he was feeling the same sensation. Before she knew it, he was standing upright, eyes now level.

“I-I know that I’m late…” The boy broke the gaze and looked around sheepishly before returning to her eyes. “But…”

“You want an autograph?”

She was equally taken aback as he was. “Yes! Please?” Before she could answer properly, his red-clad back was facing her astonished expression.

That was a little… sudden. Something about the gesture was endearing, and the boy had an eager air around him. How could she refuse that? Smiling, the brunette pulled her autographing pen out and uncapped it, beginning to mark her signature on the cloth as she asked the routine question: “Your name?”

“Spike!” the boy chirped back with a slight giggle. When Helga finished signing her name, she added two words on the side: to Spike.

It was finished! She leaned back and smiled slightly at her work before addressing the boy.  “Here, it’s done.”

At her words, _Spike_ turned his head to look back at her (or perhaps the autograph) before breaking into a huge grin. That grin led to him leaping for joy and his cheerful shouts. “Woo! This is the best day ever!” The celebration lasted a few seconds before he trotted back towards the other two kids standing on the sidewalk, which she had forgotten were even there during the odd meetup.

_Such a strange kid…_ Helga thought while shaking her head and giggling slightly. Just before she turned around to return to her complex, the last glimpse she saw of him was his beaming face as he showed off his newly-gained prize to his friends.

In the end, it turns out she was only partially right on that first point. There _was_ something special about this session, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Her own thoughts still consumed her, but this time they included Spike.

Was it possible they could see each other again?

* * *

 

            “Thank you… for bringing the stars back.”

            It happened; the two had met each other again. It had been a few weeks since the autographing session, but their meeting took place under a moonless sky. Currently her mind was still reeling from the night, but Helga knew she was going to remember it for years to come.

            “ _Kone kone kone, ko-kokone, neko, koneko.” Her light-blue eyes gazed up at the darker blue night sky as she chanted the spell close to her heart. After the spell was finished, she felt a little closer to her father, wherever he may be in the world. She began to lean slightly more over the balcony, hoping to feel his presence even more._

_“Helga… san?”_

_A voice behind her? She whirled around and began to look, only to cry out in surprise when she saw an oddly familiar boy standing above her on a higher balcony._

_“Oh! Sorry for scaring you!” he uttered with a curt bow._

_“Huh? A thief?” she replied back. Why would someone be watching her?_

_This response caught the boy off guard. “Ehh?! No I’m not! I-I’m your big fan, Spike! We met at the autographing, remember?” he replied on one breath, punctuated with flailing hands while he spoke._

Now _she remembered. How did she forget in the first place? Perhaps her thoughts were hazy right now. They tended to be that way whenever she thought about her father. Now wasn’t the time for that though, because the next idea she had for someone watching her came to mind._

_“Stalker?” she said with a tilted head._

_That didn’t help either. Spike became even more agitated than before, hands flailing about again. “No no no! It was a coincidence, I swear!” Suddenly, his demeanor changed as his expression changed to one of realization. Perhaps he remembered something else? “Do you know who Specter is?”_

_An unexpected question, but not something she didn’t know the answer to. “Yes… I have heard of him.”_ Hard to forget a talking monkey in a cape… _she thought. “He was talking about creating a world for monkeys or something, wasn’t he?”_

_“Yeah, but he’s actually been up to no good since then, pulling pranks here and there with his army of monkeys.” As he finished talking, Spike pulled what looked like a strange blue baton out of his pocket. Hitting the end of it, it expanded into a glowing blue net. “But we’ve been putting him in his place by getchu-ing with this Get Net!” he proudly declared with a few swings of the device._

_Silence. It prevailed for a few seconds before the red-blond grew visibly nervous, unsure how the brunette would react to it. Truth is, she didn’t know_ how _to react. First she hears that the kooky monkey she saw talking one day is actually threatening the human race, now this boy she met briefly one time is claiming to be stopping his plans? It’s too crazy for her to accept, but she didn’t want to crush this boy’s spirit either. She remembered with a pang that strange feeling when she touched his hand. Maybe there’s something to his story after all? Perhaps she could play along with him… “There are no monkeys around here.” She stated blankly while turning around again. “You can go home now.”_

_Two more seconds of silence. It seemed like he wasn’t going to give up yet. “Can… I ask you one more thing?”_

_“What?” Now her patience was beginning to wear._

_“That thing you were saying earlier… It sounded like a spell… what was it?”_

_Wait,_ what _? She wheeled around again. “Y-You heard that?”_

_The shock on her face registered with the boy, for he seemed to immediately regret asking. “I… just happened to.” He stuttered while rubbing the back of his head._

_“…That’s…” That was what? How could she explain?_

_It turns out she didn’t have to. When her eyes locked on Spike again, he was holding his hand up to his left ear, intent on whatever was coming from it. An earpiece, perhaps? Does that mean his story was true?_

_When he lowered his hand, the red-clad boy turned heel and began to make his way back. Before he ran off, he turned back to look at her. “Sorry for bothering you, Helga-san! See you around!” Like that, he was gone._

_Now she was filled with a feeling of awe. In that brief interaction, just like at the autographing, Spike left her struck with only a few words. The story was crazy, his expression was energetic, and his attitude went from bold to mild in a moment’s notice. Something about it was convincing, even if it didn’t quite make sense yet. If she wanted to find out, then she needed to see this boy more. Until then, there was only one thing she could call him: “Strange kid…”_

That was the only clear part right now. The rest was tangled with excitement and tension; the monkey Specter reappeared and tried to cover the sky in dark clouds, he managed to snare Getcha in his trap, and she opened up to Spike even more. He knew about the Cat’s spell, her father, her fight with loneliness…

            Whether it was the heat of the moment or it really was the right time, she shared some of the thoughts she kept hidden with another person. She never felt right telling her caretakers about her inner struggle, nor did she want to burden anyone else. That’s what intrigued her about Spike. Instead of pitying her or showing remorse, he took it on stride and was confident that she could overcome it. It didn’t feel like she was burdening him, more like lightening the load for both of them.

            “Helga…san.” Said boy was kneeling exhausted on the ground after his skirmish with Specter. The monkey had inexplicably got away from his Net, and he was taking it harshly on himself. If only he realized that he wasn’t a failure…

            “Drop the –san. Just ‘Helga’ is fine.” She smiled after stating that simply. Even if he didn’t catch Specter, he had caught _something_ , that being his idol’s admiration. “Your name… Spike, correct?” The reply was a simple nod from him. He wasn’t quite ready to face the world yet.

            Helga kneeled down to his level and lowered her voice. “Really… thank you for everything,” This was her chance to open the door to a new friendship. Reaching out, her hand gently cupped over his in an affectionate gesture. “Spike-kun.”

            That was when cobalt blue and light-blue met once again. This time, they both knew this was the beginning of something great. Whether this was friendship, or something beyond that, this would be the start of a new stage in her life.

            Both of her previous thoughts were now wrong. The autographing was anything but ordinary, and she wanted more than to see her father. Helga now had two new thoughts, and she already knew both of them were correct.

            First, anything can become something extraordinary.

            Second, she wanted a life with friends. But mostly, she wanted a life that had Spike.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on deviantArt and Tumblr under the same username.  
> In all honesty, I am surprised (and mildly disappointed) that I am the first to post about the human characters. Outside of my small circle of friends, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of love for them. If this story happens to get reviews, maybe I can find others... But either way, comments and criticism are greatly appreciated, for I would like to improve even more.  
> Until the next story, folks!


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